Brave New Fate
by TheMidgetTurtle
Summary: How will Cho Chang adjust to the Muggle world after snapping her wand in two and running away from home? A run in with one unlikely person may be just the thing to help her survive. Cho/Draco. Post-Battle.
1. Chapter 1

Cho Chang had a lot of thinking to do after the Battle at Hogwarts. Sure, Lord Voldemort was gone and Harry Potter was everyone's hero, but where did that leave her? She didn't have Harry – Ginny did – and she had already left Hogwarts, only returning to fight with the others. She saw numerous people she cared about die in the War, and even more injured. Though she survived physically, she would always have those memories, those emotions, inside of her. Scars like that would never go away.

There were always those "what if?" moments that would come and go as she got older: what if another dark wizard decided to try and take over? What if she and her family were threatened, tortured, or even killed? Did she want to continue living a life like this? Sure being a witch had benefits, but at what risk? At what cost?

Cho knew what she needed to do. Sitting in her bedroom in the dark, the moon high in the sky outside, she picked up her wand and studied it. She remembered first getting it in Ollivander's. She had gone through many of the wands he picked out for her; they all weren't the right fit. They felt powerful – but not _right. _At last Ollivander handed her a wand that, when she took it, felt like it was waiting for her. She could feel its power in her hand, the way it sent tingles up her arm. She and the wand connected, and as she thought back to that day in Diagon Alley, she knew that they had gone through much together.

From first year classes to the War, the wand had seen much use. She remembered accidentally setting little Professor Flitwick's hat on fire in Charms class, and how she singed her eyebrows off when all she had to do was turn them a different color. The first time she successfully transfigured a cat into a cushion made her smile, as Professor McGonagall looked on with a tight but proud smile. Then came the DA meetings with Harry and the others. She could proudly say she learned much from him and her offensive spells greatly improved after that.

She stared at the wand a little while longer, her time at Hogwarts flipping like a story book in her mind and, her eyes squeezed shut, she took the wand in both hands and snapped it into two pieces. She expected to feel sorrow and pain when she heard the piercing sound of her wand snapping, but she felt... relief. She wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming after her; she knew that her parents could take care of themselves if the time came for that, but she just couldn't take the pain anymore. It seemed to her that being a witch caused far more death – unnecessary death – than living as a muggle ever would. Muggles don't have to worry about an evil wizard bursting through their door and casting a curse on them, or using them as puppets.

She knew that there would be things that she would miss greatly about being a witch, flying on a broomstick being the thing she'd miss the most. She loved Quidditch, and using a broom to simply sweep a floor wouldn't be the same.

Getting up off of her bed, she moved swiftly around her room and packed up a large duffel bag with clothes, books, and her essentials. Her parents didn't know about this, but they had a very distant muggle cousin who lived close by in London and she was going to stay with them for a while, just until she could get on her feet. She walked with her bag into the kitchen and scribbled a quick note onto a piece of paper.

_Mum, dad,_

_I know that you won't understand, at least for now, but I don't want to be a witch any longer. I've broken my wand in half and have decided to set out on my own. I need this. I live in this world of death and chaos, and I can't take it anymore. Don't try and find me. I... need to do this on my own._

_I love you guys. I'll be in touch soon._

_Love, Cho_

A stray tear fell onto the paper, smudging the "Love, Cho" part a bit. Her parents would wake up in a few hours to start their day and this is what they'd find. She quickly flew out of the door and started running as if her life depended on it. A part of her wanted to turn around and rip up the letter and desperately try and do something about her wand, but the dominant part told her to keep running. She knew deep inside of her that she didn't want this life anymore.

With each pounding step into the darkness, Cho Chang – the witch who dated Harry Potter, the witch who was a part of Dumbledore's Army, the witch who battled alongside her friends in the War – was left behind.

It was time for Cho Chang to brave the world as a muggle.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm not sure how many people are going to read this, but to those who do, HI! You may know me as BubblyAmericanWriter1, and if you do, then welcome to my new FF account. I'll be taking down my other one in a few days, but don't fret, I backed up my stories so if I feel like re-posting them, I shall. So if you're a fan of mine, thanks for sticking around! :)

If you're new: hai! :D

I hope you guys like this story; this is sort of a new idea of mine, I've just recently gotten to shipping Chudley (Cho/Dudley) after seeing something on Facebook about it. I think it's cute. :)

Put me on your favorites and alerts, because more is on the way!

-D

**Edit: 9-2-12**

**It's now going to be Cho/Draco instead of Cho/Dudley. More details in Chapter 2. Sorry for the confusion!**


	2. Chapter 2

**As I was typing this, I realized I was saying, "Draco" instead of "Dudley" and instead of me going back and fixing it? It's now Cho/Draco. So I apologize for that but I've gotten maybe 5 hours of sleep a day this week, plus worked 4-close Friday and 8-4 both Saturday and today and I'm exhausted and yeah. But I think this pairing will shape up nicely and I can do SO much more with it than I can Dudley. So yeah. Dro? Chaco? DracCho! XD **

Cho's feet pounded on the road, the only noise sounding in her ears. She breathed heavily, her heart racing quickly, and she blinked back tears. It was too late to turn back now and she was still a a few hours journey from her muggle relative's house. She slowed to a walk, bending over to catch her breath. She stood underneath a street light, its soft glow illuminating her immediate surroundings.

_What do I do now? _Cho thought. She realized that she hadn't fully thought this thing through. She couldn't show up at her relative's house tonight; what would she say? _Hi, I'm your relative who was a witch for the past eighteen years and I decided to break my wand and come join you in the muggle world! What room am I staying in? _She winced at that thought; they would think she was crazy for sure.

As if by magic, she noticed a small diner on the corner of the street, one that was open twenty-four seven. She hadn't noticed it while she was deep in thought a moment ago, but suddenly the sign seemed brightly lit. She shifted the bag over her shoulder and walked towards the place. She got to the door and and saw one lonely waitress and a chef making conversation by the window, both with sleepy smiles on their faces while drinking coffee. She pushed open the door and heard the faint _ding _of a bell signaling her arrival. Both the waitress and the chef turned and smiled at her. The waitress seemed to be in her mid-twenties while the chef was a little older and scruffy.

"You're out awful late," said the chef, setting down is cup and getting up from the booth. "Either you're just a natural night owl or something tells me you've run away from home."

She froze for a second and, at the last second, decided to go with what he said but added to it. "I actually got kicked out of my house; my parents and I weren't getting along and tonight I had enough and actually decided to yell back..." she trailed off as real tears added the effect she needed for her false story. Both of the workers' faces softened and the waitress got up and gave her a one-armed hug.

"I'm sorry," said the chef. "You have whatever you want, on the house." She smiled weakly at him and sat in the booth closest to the door. It felt good to get off of her feet after running for a while. "I didn't catch your name," he called from the back.

"Cho," she said. "Cho Chang." He peered from behind the counter and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Jay Isaac. That's Aly," he said, pointing at the waitress. "You must be hungry, what would you like?"

She opened her mouth to tell Jay that she wasn't hungry but her stomach decided to call her out on her almost-lie. She blushed and said, "Macaroni and Cheese sounds fantastic right now." He beamed at her and she could tell that he was the type of chef that loved his job; he didn't hate coming into work everyday and making food for people. She noticed Aly was looking at her and said, "I'll have a pumpk- I mean I'll just have tea please." She caught herself before she said "pumpkin juice." Aly didn't seem to have noticed the slip up and began making a fresh pot of tea.

She put her face in her hands and breathed in and out slowly for a few moments. _Another slip up like that one and I'll get in trouble with the Ministry of Magic. I need to just keep magic out of my mind and my vocabulary. I need to start acting like a muggle._

She stayed silent for a few beats before she felt someone sit across from her in the booth. She looked up, thinking it would be Aly with the tea, but she got the shock of her life. "Draco Malfoy?" she whispered.

So much for getting magic out of her life. It seemed that it would always haunt her.

"I overheard you say your name, and what are the odds that there's another Cho Chang?" he quipped, staring her in the face. She had always secretly thought that he was handsome and that he had sort of a regal look to him. He was dressed in muggle attire: dark blue button up shirt, blue jeans, and he had his family's crest on a necklace hanging on his neck. The corner of his mouth seemed to be permanently raised in a smirk and his eyes seemed to pierce through her.

She was stunned and didn't have a reply or something quirky to say. He continued on as if there wasn't a pause from her end. "So what are you doing here, of all places?" he asked.

"You heard what I said to them, I was kicked out of my home," she stammered, fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist.

"You're lying," he said simply. "You couldn't tell me that while looking me dead in the eye and you're shaking - not with hunger but from nerves." He seemed to be good at reading body language, and she cursed herself for not staying composed.

She shrugged her shoulder. "So what if I am? I don't have to tell you a thing," she snapped. His eyes widened slightly at her sudden anger and he held his hands up in surrender.

"Down, girl," he joked. "I didn't mean anything by it; it was just an observation. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to tell me." She looked him in the eye for the first time since he sat down. His eyes showed nothing by sincerity and his mouth formed a small smile. "As for me, I guess you could say that I'm - soul searching. My family's name is forever ruined by my father, so any time someone hears the name 'Malfoy' they automatically associate it with 'evil'. You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to find work doing any sort of job. I can't seem to catch a break, so I've decided to travel and find a place that I can call my own. A place I won't be judged." As he finished speaking, Aly set down two steaming cups of tea and Cho's fresh macaroni and cheese, the cheese still bubbling on top. The portion size was huge so she handed a fork to Draco and set the bowl in the middle so they could share.

They were silent for a while when Cho finally decided to speak. "What happened to the snarky Malfoy? The one that always put others down and who believed he was better than everyone else?" She could tell the question caught him completely off guard.

His voice was very soft when he answered, "I watched my best friend die." Her mouth opened, the silence eating away at her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, placing a hand over his. She bit her lip and saw for the first time how fragile this eighteen year old boy sitting in front of her really was.

He shrugged and shoved another forkful of food into his mouth. "People don't realize that I'm nothing like my father. I'm different. But I guess my place isn't here; it's somewhere out there." He waved towards outside.

"I snapped my wand in half," she suddenly blurted. "I can't do magic anymore." He stared at her, mouth open. She knew he probably wasn't expecting her to say that.

"Why?" he asked. "Why the bloody hell did you do that?" He didn't ask it in an unkind way, more of a surprised and caught off guard way.

"You don't realize that I lost people too. The Battle took a toll on my emotions as well as yours. I didn't feel like being a witch anymore. I didn't feel safe or comfortable any longer. I just..." her voice cracked. "...couldn't take it anymore." A lone tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it away with her thumb. she didn't know why she was telling Draco - of all people - this but she just needed to say it out loud for it to finally sink in. A silence followed her emotional statement.

"Come with me," he said finally. She snapped her head up.

"What?"

"You heard me. Come with me. We'll both have a fresh start," he said, smiling at her. She hesitated. "We both have things here that we would rather leave behind. Things that are going to haunt us no matter what. If we were away from this place, it would get better. We wouldn't have to hide or anything. We could do whatever we want."

She stayed silent for what seemed like forever, weighing the pros and cons of traveling around with Draco Malfoy.

"I'm in."

**I hope I'm not confusing anyone with changing the pairing to Draco/Cho. **

**Also, the updates won't be frequent, so don't expect one tomorrow or maybe even next week. It WILL get updated though, I promise. Just keep subscribing to me and reviewing and spreading the word to your friends if they read stuff like this.**

**Next chapter coming soon!**

**Love you guys!**

**-Deanna**


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